u8 Salmons Herbal. Lib. L 
and has lain forgotten lor above eight hundred Years, 
till this our Author difcovered it anew. 
IV. The name of this Plant , Britannica , came not, 
fays Munting , from the Illand of that Name, but 
its Etymology ( lays he ) is taken from the Prifian 
Language, Brit fignifying Confolidare , vel fir mare , 
Tan, Dens, and lea, loofc , or a thing going forth, 
which is as much as to lay, to jafien looje 'Teeth , 
the loolnels of the Teeth and Gums being one 61 
the Grand Symptoms of the Scurvy. But by that 
great Man’s favour, we can give little credit to that 
far fetch’d Etymology , it being always a thing known, 
that the pride of the Ancient Romans was too great 
to invent, or inveltigate any thing whatfoever with 
a Latin Name, whole Etymology Thould arife from 
the unpolifhed Particles or Words of Barbarous Ra- 
tions : Without doubt the Romans firft finding it in 
England or Britannia in great plenty ( tho" after- 
wards they might find it in briefiand , and other 
places of the Low Countries) gave it the Denomi- 
nation from the ]\ame of the Countrey they firlt 
found it in, and fo called it Britannica , quafi Herba 
Britannica i and this is that which I adhere to, and 
really believe. 
V. All the Botanifts or the laft fix or feven hun- 
dred Years, knew nothing at all of it : indeed they 
have named Britannica , but they never durft ven- 
ture to fix it, fo as to deferibe it, or figure it in 
Sculpture. And according to the feveral Ages, fe- 
veral kinds of Herbs or Plants, were taken to be this 
Plants of ours, as, Biftorta , Betonica , Beccabunga 
aquatic a , Bugla , Cochlear i a, Heft aphy lion , Plant ago 
aquatic a, Primula veris , Tcrmentilla , Veronica , and 
feveral others •, all which were fallly, in their feve- 
ral Ages, faid to be the Britannica of the Ancients: 
and the two famous Bauhins , who fpent their whole 
lives in the Botanick Study, made fo great a mi- 
ftake, as to tihsColubrina , or a fort of Snake-weed 
for it : And Cambden makes our Englifh Herborifts 
to fay, that Scurvy-grafs was the true Britannica 
Phnij i than which nothing is more remote : with- 
out doubt this our liy dr olap album nigrum , is the 
genuine or true Britannica of the Ancients, its de- 
icription agreeing exattly in every particular with 
their deferiptions, and performing every thing, and 
more than they aferibed to it, 
VI. The Delcription. The firfi of thefe , which is 
our European or Englilh kind , has a Tuberous Root, 
large and round ijh , fending forth from it almofi 
round about, feveral Arms or Brancheuof a confi- 
de r able thicknefs , all which feein knobbed or gouty , 
and ill fhape d : Prom this Root # rifes up feveral 
Leaves pretty large , not much unlike to thofe of the 
largejl Dock , but every waft) roader and longer , 
growing upright , and fharp pointed , fometimes of a 
blackijh green , fometimes of a purphfh green , and 
fometimes of a yellowifb green color , fometimes f pot- 
ted, and fometimes not. prom the midfi of thefe 
Leaves rifes up, one pretty large Stalk, fometimes 
three or Jour beet high , of the fhape and color of an 
ordinary Dock, except that fometimes it is inclining 
to a reddifh green -, it has a kind of Joints, whence 
fpring forth Leaves like the former, but much lefs ■, 
and from the fame places it fends forth manifold 
Branches, not much -un kke to the Common Water 
Dock, but more numerous , larger and higher. The 
Plowcrs grow all over thefe Branches , almofi from 
their very beginning, up eve mto tfieir feveral 'Tops, 
in a kind of Cafe or husk , etichjet upon a fmall, 
(lender, fhort tootfialk, and of a brown color-, which 
being vanifked, the Seed is contained in Chaffy husks , 
not much unlike to other Dock Seed, ef pec tally that 
of the Water Dock. 
VII. The American or Virginian Britanny has a 
Root confijhrtg of a Head thick and gouty, but not of 
a round tuberous body like the former, from which 
Head grows downward into the Earthffeveral Arms 
\ or Branches, which are thick, brownifh without, and 
yellowifh within : from this Root rifes up one up-* 
right Stalk of feveral feet high, which has alfo 
Joints upon it like knees, from whence come forth 
very long and large , Leaves, firong and hard, not 
much unlike to J Honks Rhubarb, but that theje are 
much longer, life Stalk ( which' is very like that of 
ol her .Docks j Wfes up oftentimes to a\confiderable 
height, t ab.oiit the middle of which it fends forth a 
great number of Branches not ntuclf'un .'ike the Eu- 
ropean, which have fine few LeavesAlike the others 
upon them, but much lefs.' The Prowers grow in 
vafi 'numbers upon alt thefe Branches fingle, and each 
upefh a fmall fhort Pootfialk, even from their begin- 
ning up to their very tops, fet in f paces at certain 
di fiances, in a feeming Uniform manner : After the 
blowers are paji away, the Seed comes, which is con- 
tained in a Chaffy Husk like the firfl , and differs not 
much from it, neither in fhape, nor color, nor magnitude. 
VIII. The Places. It commonly grows in Marjhy 
and Penny Grounds , banks of Ditches, and moilt 
Places, and in lides of Ditches, and watry Plafhes 
which are between the Land Ground and Fen 
Grounds in feveral parts of this Kingdom : I found 
i'ome of it in the Borders of the Pens in Cambridge - 
.(hire and Huntingdonjhire, and in other moilt and 
watry places. It grows plentifully alio in briefiand, 
Qveryfiel, Gelderland, and Holland, and poflibly in 
many Other places in the Low Countries. 
IX. The Times. It Ihoots forth its Leaves in 
April its Flowers in the latter end of May, or 
beginning of June -, and its Seed is ripe in Augufi. 
The Root is to be gathered in the beginning of the 
Spring, or in Autum, viz. in March or September • 
the Leaves and flowers in June and July and the 
Seed in the latter end of Augufi, or beginning of 
the next Month. 
X. The Qualities. It is temperate in refpefit of 
heat or cold, but dry in the latter end of the fecond 
Degree. It is Aftringent, Aperitive, Digeftive, and 
Traumatick-, Stomatick, Hepatick, Hylterick, Ar- 
thritick and Alterative. 
XI. The Specification. It is peculiar for the curing 
the Scurvy, and all forts of Fluxes of what kind, 
ioever ; and Munting fays, it is a Specifick againft 
Poifons and Convullions. 
XII. The Preparations. You may have there- 
from, i. A liquid Juice. 2. An Ejjence. 3. A 
De coition. 4. A Spirituous Tincture. 5. A Spirit 
by Permentaiion. 6 . A Baljam or Ointment. 7. The 
bixed Salt. 8. The Pouder of the Root. 
Tie Virtues. 
XIII. The liquid Juice. Given to five or fix 
fpoonluls, or more, either by it ielf or mixt with 
Red Port Wine, it Itrengchens and confirms the 
Stomach and Bowels, and powerfully refills the 
Scurvy in all its appearances, viz. with all its 
Symptoms, as Ulcers and Cankers in the Mouth, 
loofenels of the Teeth, wandering pains, weaknefs 
and lickneis at Stomach, Efc. it is good alfo againft 
all manner of Fluxes whatloever, as Diarrhea’s, Dy- 
lenteries, Lienteries, Hepatick fluxes, overflowing 
of the Terms in Women, (S'c. It is to be taken 
Morning and Evening for I'ome time. 
XIV. The Ejjence. It has all the former Virtues, 
belides which, it is faid to cure Pleurifies, Quinlies, 
the Hemorrhoids, and all lorts of infiammations ; 
and is very powerful and luccelsful in the cure of 
Hydropical Diltempers, more elpecially if it is im- 
pregnated with the fixed Salt of the lame Plant, 
it is alio an extraordinary Traumatick, for the cu- 
ring of Wounds and old Ulcers, being taken Morn- 
ing, 
